Resources for
Children
Here's a sampling of books, computer programs, and Web sites that
you and your children can enjoy together. Check with your local library for
more suggestions.
Babies
Brown, Margaret Wise. Goodnight
Moon. Harper Collins, 1997.
A little rabbit says goodnight
to all the things in his room and, finally, to the Moon.
Johnson, Angela. Mama Bird, Baby
Birds. Orchard, 1994.
Joshua and his sister, two young
African-American children, watch a mother bird feeding its babies.
Wells, Rosemary. Max's
Bedtime. Dial, 1998.
Even though Max's sister offers him her
stuffed animals, he cannot sleep without his red rubber elephant.
Play Books for Toddlers and
Preschoolers
Carle, Eric. The Very Busy
Spider. Philomel, 1984.
Farm animals try to keep a spider
from spinning her web, but she doesn't give up and she makes a beautiful and
useful creation. Pictures may be felt as well as seen, making this a great book
for visually impaired children.
Hill, Eric. Where's
Spot? Putnam, 1980.
In an interactive lift-the-flap book,
children help Spot's mother, Sally, search the house to find him. This book is
translated into a number of languages, including a sign language version.
Lacome, Julie. Seashore. Candlewick, 1995.
Small
fingers can poke through the holes in the pages of this board book about the
beach, and seem to change into fins, wings, or crawling legs.
Alphabet Books for Preschoolers
First-Graders
MacDonald, Suse. Alphabatics. Bradbury Press, 1986.
The
letters of the alphabet are transformed and placed in 26 illustrations so that
the hole in "b" becomes a balloon and "y" turns into the head of a yak (an ox
with long hair).
Rankin, Laura. The Handmade
Alphabet. Dial, 1991.
This book presents the handshape for
each letter of the manual alphabet (American Sign Language) accompanied by an
object whose name begins with that letter.
Shelby, Anne. Potluck.
Orchard, 1991. A multicultural collection of friends having names starting with
A-Z bring a variety of dishes to a potluck.
Wordless Picture Books for
Preschoolers First-Graders
dePaola, Tomie. Pancakes for
Breakfast. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978.
A little old
lady's attempts to have pancakes for breakfast are hindered by a lack of
ingredients and the help of her pets.
Mayer, Mercer. A Boy, a Dog, and a
Frog. Dial, 1967.
The story is about a boy and a dog, and a
frog they try unsuccessfully to catch.
McCully, Emily. School.
Harper & Row, 1987.
The eight oldest mice in a family prepare for the
first day of school. After everyone leaves, and the house is too quiet, the
youngest mouse decides to go and discover what school is all about.
Wiesner, David. Tuesday. Clarion, 1991.
One night a
town is invaded by extraterrestrial frogs flying in on their lily pads.
Rhyming Books for Toddlers
Kindergartners
Christelow, Eileen. Five Little
Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Clarion, 1989.
This counting
rhyme shows five little monkeys getting ready for bed and getting sidetracked
by some serious bed-jumping.
Cole, Joanna and Calmenson, Stephanie.Eentsy, Weensty Spider: Fingerplays and Action
Rhymes. Morrow, 1991.
This book, illustrated using children
of diverse cultural backgrounds, includes fingerplays and action rhymes that
have been chanted, sung, and loved by generations.
Dyer, Jane. Animal Crackers: A
Delectable Collection of Pictures, Poems and Lullabies for the Very
Young. Little, Brown, 1996.
This beautiful picture book
contains a collection of Mother Goose classics, modern poems, lullabies, and
simple stories, many of which celebrate special times in a child's first years.
Martin, Bill, Jr. and Archambault, John. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Simon &
Schuster, 1989.
Enjoy reading aloud the rhythmical story of letters of the
alphabet climbing and falling from a coconut tree.
"Predictable" Books for Toddlers
First-Graders
Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain to
Kapiti Plain. Dutton, 1993.
Told in verse, this is the story
of how Ki-pat, a herder, gets it to rain on the dry Kapiti Plain.
Hutchins, Pat. Rosie's
Walk. Macmillan, 1968.
Rosie the hen goes for a walk and
manages to avoid many attempts on her life by a predatory fox. Also available
in Spanish.
Lowell, Susan. The Three Little
Javelinas. Northland Pub., 1993.
This southwestern tale,
based on the story of The Three Little Pigs and illustrated with Native
American and Latino characters, is about three little javelinas as they try to
outsmart the coyote who had hoped to eat them with red chili sauce.
McNaughton, Colin. Suddenly!. Harcourt Brace, 1995.
Time
after time, Preston the Pig outwits a hungry wolf that is trying to catch and
eat him.
Multiple-Language Books for
PreschoolersFirst-Graders
Brown, Ruth. Alphabet Times Four: An
International ABC. Dutton, 1991.
Beginning with the letter
"A" and ending with "Z," this book offers a word that happens to begin with the
same letter in four languages, English, Spanish, French, and German accompanied
by creatively bordered pictures.
Garza, Carmen Lomas. Family
Pictures. Children's Book Press, 1990.
In this bilingual
text (Spanish and English), a young girl remembers her day-to-day family life
while growing up in Texas in a Mexican- American culture.
Hirschi, Ron. Seya's
Song. Sasquatch Books, 1992.
A young S'Klallam girl follows
the seasons of the salmon, interweaving aspects of the life and culture of her
Pacific Coast tribe and using words from her native language.
Lee, Huy Voun. In the
Park. Henry Holt & Co, Inc., 1998.
Xiao Ming and his
mother go to the park, where they see a variety of people of different
cultures, ages, and disabilities. At the park, his mother teaches him how to
draw and pronounce some Chinese characters.
Rattigan, Jama Kim. Dumpling
Soup. Little, Brown, 1993.
Marisa, a 7-year-old girl who
lives in Hawaii, explains the traditions her family celebrates at the New Year.
Hawaiian, Japanese, and Korean words and phrases add to the English text.
Stock, Catherine. Where Are You Going
Manyoni? Morrow, 1993.
Manyoni lives in Zimbabwe and on her
way to school she passes many beautiful areas, wild animals, and birds. The
book includes a picture glossary of wildlife and a key to pronouncing African
words.
Beginning Readers
Eastman, P.D. Go, Dog.
Go!Random House, 1989.
Big dogs, little dogs black, white,
yellow, and blue dogs they are all very busy going places and doing things.
Krauss, Ruth. The Carrot
Seed. Harper Collins, 1973.
A little boy knows a carrot will
grow from the seed he planted no matter what anyone else may say or think.
Early Read-Aloud Chapter Books
for Preschoolers First-Graders
Cameron, Ann. The Stories Julian
Tells. Knopf, 1981.
Julian tells great stories, He can make
people, especially his younger brother Huey, believe almost anything, which
sometimes leads to lots of trouble.
Milne, A.A. The House at Pooh
Corner. Dutton, 1991.
The book is about the timeless
adventures of Pooh, Piglet, Christopher Robin, Owl, Tigger, and Eeyore in the
Hundred-Acre Woods. |
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